Determines your speed and grace, your initiative, and is used for many skills related to movement, carefulness and stealth.

Intelligence

Determines your character's intellect and memory abilities, and is used for many skills related to knowledge and problem-solving.

Perception

Determines your character's awareness and their sensory acuity, and is used for many skills related to extracting information from the environment.

Willpower

Determines your character's ability to control their own actions, resist fear and compulsion, and manifest magical abilities.

Fellowship

Determines your character's ability to interact with others, either as a leader or as an equal, and is used for many social skills.

From here, a Character then chooses a Background, Occupation and Class. This determines a character's starting skills, talents, equipment, abilities and also provides characteristic modifiers. After that, a character then generates their characteristics, purchases assets and drawbacks, then makes Experience purchases; finally, they settle on a name, gender, Zodiac and religion.

Backgrounds, Occupations and Classes

Choosing your Background, Occupation and Class is the most important and defining element of character generation, as it forms the meat of a character's skill set and determines how that character grows.

Note: If a Character gains the same Aptitude twice for any reason during this stage, they may replace the second Aptitude with any one of the nine Characteristic Aptitudes.
Note: If a Character gains the same skill twice for any reason during this stage, they gain an extra rank in that skill.
Note: If a Character gains the same talent twice for any reason during this stage, they gain an extra rank in that talent, if it is a talent with multiple ranks; otherwise, they exchange it in for a talent of the same Tier.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds reflect the upbringing of your character.

All characters gain the skills Linguist (Ivalician and Ordalian) and Literacy at this step.

Whenever you gain Fatigue, you may make a Toughness or Endurance test; on a success, you reduce the amount of Fatigue taken by 1. Your Fatigue threshold increases by 2.

Aptitudes:

Perception

Characteristic Gains:

+5 Perception, +5 Willpower

Fate Points:

3

Starting Wounds:

9+TB

Skills:

Awareness, Survival

Talents:

Grounded Mind or Jaded or Combat Sense

Traits:

-

Background Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Resourceful

-

Whenever you spend a Fate Point to add a Degree of Success, you add one extra Degree of Success.

Aptitudes:

Fellowship

Characteristic Gains:

+5 Intelligence, +5 Fellowship

Fate Points:

2

Starting Wounds:

9+TB

Skills:

Two of the following: Charm, Commerce, Intimidate, Command.

Talents:

Beyond Reproach or Veiled Threats or Eloquent

Traits:

Peer (Highborn 1)

Background Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Privileged Rank

-

You gain one of the bonuses below.

-

Faithful Servant

The Party begins with a single Aide.

-

Personal Fortune

The Party gains one Funding Advantage at the start of each Chapter.

Aptitudes:

Agility

Characteristic Gains:

+5 Agility, +5 Perception

Fate Points:

2

Starting Wounds:

9+TB

Skills:

Athletics or Commerce, Survival.

Talents:

Catfall or Muffled Armament

Traits:

Peer (Itinerants 1)

Background Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Familiarity

-

Choose one environment (eg. Ocean, desert, forest, ice etc). In this environment you take a +20 to Survival tests and Difficult Terrain tests.

Aptitudes:

Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill

Characteristic Gains:

+5 Weapon Skill or Ballistic Skill, '+5 Strength

Fate Points:

2

Starting Wounds:

10+TB

Skills:

Athletics, Dodge or Parry or Trade (Armorer).

Talents:

Double Team

Traits:

Peer (Marchers 1)

Background Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Childhood Training

-

Select a single weapon class (such as One-Handed, Two-Handed, Unarmed, Pistol, etc). When making attacks with this weapon, you may remove the Unreliable Quality (if present) and grant Proven (+3) to damage rolls made with it.

You can expend one Acquisition to grant yourself an extra rank of the Peer trait until the start of the next Chapter. You can do this multiple times per Chapter, but they must be for different groups. Furthermore, when making Social tests which benefit from Peer, you add DoS equal to Peer's Rank.

Once per round, after making a Move-type Action, you may make a single Standard Attack with any non-Heavy Ranged Weapon you are currently wielding as a Free Action.

Pathfinder

-

Once per Chapter as a Full Action, you may select one Agility or Perception based skill. All allies within communications range may treat your skill training level in that skill as if they had that same level of training. This lasts for 10 minutes.

Sentinel Spirit

-

You may spend a Fate Point to automatically pass an Awareness or Scrutiny test, with a number of Degrees of Success equal to your Perception.

Longshot

-

Whenever you make a ranged Standard Attack benefitting from the Aim action, you may add half your PB to the damage dealt.

Once per combat, you may declare a Challenge against a single enemy within TB metres. Until the end of the combat, that enemy takes a -20 penalty to attack tests against anyone but you.

Gallantry

-

Once per round, when an ally within your Full Move distance is attacked, you may, as a Reaction, move adjacent to them and immediately use the Guardian talent as part of the same action.

Riposte

-

Once per combat, after successfully parrying an enemy's attack, you may instantly attempt to Disarm them.

Vengeance

-

Whenever you use the Sacrifice action, you may mark one ally you can see as a Free Action. Until the start of your next turn, any attacks that ally makes on your attacker gains extra damage equal to the damage you took from Sacrifice.

Class Aptitudes:

Intelligence, Willpower, Arcane, Resolution

Characteristic Gains:

+10 Willpower

Bonus Wounds:

-

Class Skills:

Lore (Magic), Magisense, Magic Resistance, Spellcasting (General)

Class Talents:

Up to 400 XP worth of General Spells.

Class Traits:

General Mage, Mage Rating 1

Class Equipment:

One Weapon, Value 20 or Lower; Leather Outfit; Focus

Class Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Magic Discipline

-

On Character Creation, choose one of the Assets below.

-

Black

The Discipline of Dominion, focused on mastering and changing the world. You gain the Black Mage trait and 400 XP worth of Black Magic spells.

-

Dimension

The Discipline of Spacetime, focused on mastering the elusive physical laws. You gain the Dimension Mage trait and 400 XP worth of Dimension Magic spells.

-

Fate

The Discipline of Fate, focused on divination and curse magic. You gain the Oracle trait and 400 XP worth of Fate spells.

-

Illusion

The Discipline of Illusion, focused on the mind and perception. You gain the Illusionist trait and 400 XP worth of Illusion spells.

-

White

The Discipline of Preservation, focused on restoring and preserving the world. You gain the White Mage trait and 400 XP worth of White Magic spells.

The Mediator may purchase Sweeping Orders; these Orders affect all Companions in the party within communication range, not just the Mediator's own.

Hoi Polloi

-

You gain an extra Comrade. You may purchase this Advance a number of times up to your Fellowship Bonus.

Comrade Advances

Name

Type

Effect

Entourage

Passive

You may assign Comrades to allies, who may be ordered about by your allies, although you can withdraw a Comrade at will. These Comrades may not be given anything but Generic Orders by their adoptive allies, and do not benefit from any Comrades Advances other than your own.

Standard Bearer

Passive

A bright standard and herald can aid immensely in directing the wills of others. As long as you are within cohesion with one Companion, your Sweeping Orders affect all Companions within sight range or within 100m, whichever is closest. Furthermore, your Fellowship skill tests now affect a number of people equal to 100 times your Fellowship Bonus.

Direct the Crowd

-

The Mediator may purchase Sweeping Orders; these Orders affect all Companions in the party within communication range, not just the Mediator's own.

Cover Them

Sweeping Order (C. Free Action)

All Comrades in communications range try to keep the enemy's head down in any way they can: firing guns, shouting or even throwing rocks. Until the start of your next round, all allies within cohesion of their Comrades take a +10 bonus to evasion tests.

Destroy Them

Sweeping Order (C. Free Action)

You make a Command test; on a success, all Comrades within communications range are inspired to destroy the foe. Until the start of your next turn, any Comrade performing the Ranged Volley or Close Quarters Orders provide a +3 damage bonus to the affected character.

Flank Them

Sweeping Order (C. Free Action)

You make a Command test; on a success, all Comrades within communications range are inspired to destroy the foe. Until the start of your next turn, attempts to dodge or parry attacks from any allies in Cohesion with any Comrade, including ones not of their own, take a -10 penalty for every Comrade with which they are in Cohesion (to a maximum of -30).

Rally to Me

Sweeping Order (C. Free Action)

You make a Command test; on a success, all Comrades, and any characters they are attached to, suffering from Fear or Pinning tests immediately snap out of it.

Stampede

Order (C. Full Action)

You designate a number of your own Comrades, and make a Command-10 test, with a +10 bonus for every designated Comrade. On a success, the Comrades flock to your side. If you make a Charge Action this turn, the Comrades travel with you; you may not be targeted by any Overwatch or Counter attacks during this time. Finally, for every degree of success you earn on the command test, you inflict one extra hit with your chosen melee weapon as part of that Charge.

Class Aptitudes:

Intelligence, Knowledge, Tech, Fieldcraft

Characteristic Gains:

+5 Intelligence, +5 Agility

Bonus Wounds:

-

Class Skills:

Lore (Science) or Logic, Tech Use or Medical, Operate (Any) or Trade (Any)

Class Talents:

Ranged Training, Master Chirurgeon or Technical Knock

Class Equipment:

One Ranged Weapon, Value 30 or lower; one Melee Weapon, value 20 or Lower; Leather Outfit; A total of 40 Value worth of gear.

Class Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Humanity's Heritage

-

You may spend a Fate Point to automatically succeed at an Operate or Intelligence skill test with a number of Degrees of Success equal to your Intelligence Bonus.

You gain +2 DoS on crafting tests, and everything you make is automatically one level of quality higher than you were aiming for.

Comrade Advances

Name

Type

Effect

Apprentice

Passive

The Comrade is given a modicum of the training of the Polymath, allowing the two to become an even more effective team. When assisted by the Comrade, you take a +10 bonus to Intelligence skill tests, and halves the time it takes to repair items.

Co-Pilot

Passive

Some Machines are too complex for one person to handle at once; luckily, the Comrade is receptive to training. Whenever you are crewing a multi-position vehicle, the Comrade may, as a Full Action, crew another position, allowing you to make a single free Full Action as though they themselves were crewing that position.

Emergency!

Order (C. Full Action)

So long as you and the Comrade are both in the same vehicle, then you may use this Order to command the Comrade to instantly put out any fires or unjam any weapons.

Medic!

Order (C. Full Action)

Unfortunately in battles, the injured usually outnumber the healers- anyone who can help is thus a necessity. As long as the Comrade is in range of communication, then you may perform Medical tests on anyone adjacent to the Comrade, at a -10 penalty.

Techie

Order (C. Full Action)

A Polymath cannot be everywhere at once, but in the meantime the Comrade makes an effective substitute. As long as the Comrade is within range of communication, then you may perform Tech Use or Trade tests on anything adjacent to the Comrade, at a -10 penalty.

Class Aptitudes:

Fellowship, Arcane, Social, Resolution

Characteristic Gains:

+5 Fellowship, +5 Willpower

Bonus Wounds:

-

Class Skills:

Lore (Summoning), Magisense, Spellcasting (General)

Class Talents:

Up to 200 XP worth of General Spells.

Class Traits:

General Mage, Mage Rating 1, Summoner

Class Equipment:

One Weapon, Value 20 or Lower; Leather Outfit; Summoning Horn

Class Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

"|| Eidolon Pact || - |||| You begin Character Creation with a single Eidolon; the Eidolon also begins with 4 free EiP (Eidolon Points). The rules for Eidolons may be found here: Eidolons.
||"

Homunculus

-

You possess a special type of Comrade called a Homunculus. A Homunculus is a foot-tall doll-like object, made of a substance specific to the Eidolon. Unlike other Companions, a Homunculus may only follow the Move Action and Take Cover Orders; they also never benefit from Sweeping Orders. If the Homunculus is within cohesion with the Summoner, then the Summoner may, as a Full Action, Evoke the Homunculus. The Homunculus is then replaced with the Summoner's Eidolon, which follows all the normal rules of Eidolons and no longer counts as a Companion, except for Cohesion: if an Eidolon is ever not in Cohesion with the Summoner, then the Summoner must make a Willpower test, with a -10 penalty for every previous round in which the Eidolon has been out of Cohesion. On a failure, the Eidolon goes berserk and rampages wildly, attacking anything near it; any tests to Contain the Eidolon take a -40 penalty.

Comrade Advances

Name

Type

Effect

Eidolon Augmentation

Passive

The Eidolon gains 1 EiP. You may take this Advancement multiple times.

Strengthen Bond

Passive

You increase the Cohesion range of your Homunculus by 5m. This can be taken a number of times up to twice your Willpower Bonus.

Class Aptitudes:

Agility, Perception, Finesse, Social

Characteristic Gains:

+5 Agility, +5 Perception

Bonus Wounds:

-

Class Skills:

Deceive, Stealth, Sleight of Hand

Class Talents:

Melee Training, Muffled Armaments

Class Equipment:

Two Weapons, each Valued 20 or Lower; Leather Outfit; High Quality Lockpicks.

Class Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Street Rat

-

You may spend a Fate Point to automatically succeed at a Stealth, Security or Sleight of Hand test with DoS equal to your Agility Bonus.

Mugger

-

When performing a Standard melee attack, you may test Sleight of Hand in place of Weapon Skill for the attack test.

Distraction

-

You count as two people in combat for the purposes of Ganging Up.

Artful Dodger

-

You gain +2 to Initiative and an extra Reaction which may only be used to dodge.

Class Aptitudes:

Weapon Skill, Strength, Toughness, Offense

Characteristic Gains:

+5 WS, +5 Strength

Bonus Wounds:

+2 Wounds

Class Skills:

Acrobatics or Intimidate, Athletics, Dodge

Class Talents:

Melee Training, Furious Charge or Swift Attack

Class Equipment:

One Melee Weapon, Value 50 or lower; Padded Armour

Class Abilities

Name

Subtype

Effect

Warrior Path

Brawler, Berserker, Dragon Knight

On character creation, choose one of the Assets listed below.

-

Berserker

You gain the Berserker trait and the Frenzy talent. Berserker allows you to purchase unique Berserk Talents.

-

Brawler

You gain the Brawler trait and the Unarmed Master talent. Brawler allows you to purchse unique Unarmed Attack talents.

-

Dragon Knight

You gain the Dragon Knight trait. The Dragon Knight trait allows you to purchase unique Dragon Knight talents, and make Boosted Jumps.

Generate Final Characteristics

At this stage, your characteristic line (which began at 25) will have been modified by the Characteristic Bonuses of Background and Class. Here, you finalise your character's starting characteristics.

You gain 60 points, which are spent to increase your Characteristics. You may not increase a Characteristic above 50 in this way. Once all points are spent, you finalise your Characteristic line; this is the line you will be using at the start of the game.

Assets and Drawbacks

You have written a book, which has been well received and been a modest success, with even those who disagree with it acknowledging its worth. Thematically, the contents of the book do well to tie into your Occupation and your chosen skill (see right). A Veteran, for example, may have written a military memoir that now acts as a geographical guide to a region, whilst a Professional might record the various cultures he's interacted with as a merchant trader. It is thematically appropriate, but not required, for an Erudite with the Doctorate bonus to choose Author (their Thesis Skill).

You gain the Trade (Scribe) skill and the Peer (Read Book, 1) talent. Furthermore, choose one Lore, Navigation or Trade skill you possess; your book is published based on this skill, and as author you begin with one copy. The book is also available on the market.

-

-

5

Athlete

-

You are quite fit and spend a good deal of time being physically active.

You begin with the Athletics skill. You automatically gain 2 successes when using Core Training to improve Strength, Toughness or Agility.

-

Strength 30, Toughness 30

5

Catlike

-

You are gifted with unusual grace and skill at moving quietly.

Gain the Stealth skill, and you gain a Conditional Fate Point that may only be spent to reroll or add Degrees of Success to Stealth tests.

-

Agility 30

5

Charming

-

You're unusually attractive, not always in a way related to looks; it could be how you speak, smell, or act in some way.

Gain +10 to Fellowship skill tests toward those who would be attracted to you.

-

Fellowship 30

5

Common Sense

-

You're not an idiot, and will probably recognise when things could go bad.

You may, once per session, consult with a GM about a specific action, and be told if and how the idea is inherently flawed, in the context of what the character would be expected to know.

-

-

5

Cynic

-

You're naturally suspicious of others, or maybe you have experience dealing with cons, lies and cheats. You don't have to be actually genuinely cynical.

Gain the Scrutiny skill and +20 to Scrutiny tests to resist Charm or Deceive.

-

-

10

Driven

-

You're the sort of person who fights harder the more the odds are stacked against them.

Gain one conditional Fate Point to be used in any way you prefer when facing a superior foe or exceptionally bad odds.

-

Willpower 30

10

Duelist

-

Years of practice and experience- or perhaps a natural knack- have made you accomplished at dealing with a foe, one on one, weapon to weapon

You begin with the Duelist talent.

-

Weapon Skill 30

10

Eidetic Memory

-

You have a nearly flawless memory.

You gain the Total Recall talent. Whenever you roll on the Trauma Chart you add +20 to the result.

-

Intelligence 30, no 'Forgetful' Drawback

5

Egghead

Chosen Skill

You profess a great and focused interest in a particular intellectual pursuit.

Choose one Intelligence-based skill; you now gain that skill and, whenever you test against that skill, you may reroll and take the preferred result.

May be taken a number of times up to your IB.

Intelligence 30

5

Elemental Affinity

-

You are particularly attuned to a certain elemental affinity. Although many people might possess innate affinities, it takes training as a mage to attune them to have a noticeable effect. This affinity might be coupled with noticeable phenotypical traits- a Fire affinity might match a person with red hair for example. This asset works well if paired with the Elemental Weakness Drawback.

Choose one Element (Air, Dark, Electric, Earth, Holy, Ice, Fire, Water). You deal +3 damage with Spells of this type, and begin with the Elemental Resistance (WPB) trait for the chosen Element.

-

Mage trait

10

Established

-

You have established a space for yourself in which to work, which may be a shopfront, a by-commission workshop, or something similar.

You begin with one Workshop.

-

Trade Skill

10

Fast

-

You're unusually fast; this asset goes well with the Athlete skill thematically.

You count your Agility Bonus as one higher for the purposes of movement.

-

Agility Aptitude

10

Fearless

-

You're either recklessly brave, suicidal, or an idiot.

You gain the Fearless (1) Trait.

-

Willpower 30

15

Hardened Nerves

Long experience with a particular threat has made you jaded towards it.

Choose one category (such as, for example, 'Predators', 'Gore', 'Monsters', 'Natural Disasters', 'Explosions', etc). You treat the chosen category's Fear rating as being one level lower than it usually is; should this push it below 0, you negate that source of Fear.

May be taken multiple times, but each time choose a different category.

Willpower 30

10

Healer

You're an accomplished medical practitioner; you may be officially trained, or just had to pick it up through experience.

You gain the Medical Skill and the Master Chirurgeon talent.

-

Intelligence 30

5

Hedonist

You party hard in the pursuit of pleasure (or to forget); at this point you've built up a type of immunity to intoxicants.

You gain a +20 bonus to Tolerance and Addiction tests.

-

-

5

High Endurance

You're highly tough, capable of taking blows and working hard hours without collapse.

You may test Toughness when incurring fatigue. On a success, you reduce the fatigue taken by 1, minimum zero. Increase fatigue threshold by 1.

-

Toughness 30, no Chronic Pain Drawback

10

Hyperactive

You act and think fast in a crisis, faster than most people do.

You may spend a Fate Point in order to perform a single Half Action as a Reaction instead. This may be before or after someone else's turn, but not during.

-

-

10

Incredible Sense

You possess, either through birth or through training, an extremely well-developed sense.

Choose one sense (sight, hearing, touch, taste+smell); take a +20 bonus to Perception tests relying only on that sense. Stacks with Heightened Senses.

Gain one conditional Fate Point to be used when attempting a creative plan or unorthodox use of a skill. Furthermore, you take a +10 bonus to tests related with inventing or creativity.

-

Intelligence 30

5

Local Hero

You did something of note in a particular region, and now they love you for it. The details should be worked out between you and the GM, as the events of the heroism may have impact later.

Select a region; you gain the Peer (chosen region, 1). However, you're also highly recognisable in this region, which can make attempts to be subtle very difficult.

-

-

5

Military Enthusiast

You're always willing to listen and pay attention when the word is about war. You may be a scholar who has read deeply on the topic, or you may have done some fighting yourself and picked up some things, or you just pay a lot of attention to war stories.

You gain a single Lore related to war; whenever you test this skill, you may reroll and take the preferred result.

May be taken multiple times, each time choosing a different Lore

-

5

Mimic

You have a knack at mimicing the voices of others.

You gain the Mimic talent.

-

Perception 30

5

Natural Leader

You're a natural leader, either due to use of authority from birth, from experience, or just some sense of charisma you possess.

You gain the Command skill, and may use the Inspire special use of Command as a Half Action.

-

Leadership Aptitude

5

Paranoia

You're always suspecting an ambush or a trap or some threat to come out of nowhere.

You gain the Paranoia talent.

-

No "Inattentive" Drawback

5

Platonic

You're a stone wall when it comes to romance. You may simply not be interested, or you're too devoted to one particular person, or you're just shockingly dense at taking the thing.

Seduction attempts against you automatically fail, and Charm tests against you take a -10 penalty. If you willingly enter into a romantic relationship, then this is waived for that one individual.

-

-

5

Polyglot

You have a natural knack for languages. You may be a traveler, or you grew up in a particularly cosmopolitan environment.

You gain the Polyglot talent.

-

-

5

Precious Item

Item

You possess a precious and rare item, one that may be an heirloom, or a reward for heroic deeds, or even something you stole during a particularly daring raid.

You begin play with one item of any type with a Value of 80 or below.

-

-

5

Quick Healer

You're unusually quick to heal from injuries. This pairs well with the Hardy talent and the Agrarian or Marcher background, but is not exclusive.

Whenever you recover wounds, no matter what the source, you regain one extra. When you spend a Fate Point to heal wounds, you may add your TB to the amount healed.

-

Toughness 30, no Slow Healer Drawback

10

Resilient Metabolism

Hard or desperate living, or just a fluke of nature, either way you have an admirable resistance to poisons and toxins.

You gain a +20 bonus to resist illness, and reroll toughness tests when hit with a Toxic weapon.

-

Toughness 30

5

Resilient Mind

Some people are better able to handle trauma than others, and you're one of these people.

Whenever you take Insanity Points, you reduce the amount taken by 1, to a minimum of 1. You may spend a Fate Point to automatically pass a Trauma test.

-

Willpower 30, no "Exposed" Drawback

5

Rugged

Long exposure to rough terrain has made you a master of it, and the envy of the clumsy and foreign.

Choose one environment (eg. Ocean, urban, desert, forest, ice etc). In this environment you take a +20 to Survival tests and reduce the DTV of Difficult Terrain by 2. You also apply this to any Hordes you command. Stacks with Itinerant's Familiarity.

-

-

5

Shrewd

You're a shrewd and cunning negotiator.

You gain one conditional Fate Point to be used in negotiations or social interactions or Social Conflicts. The Point may not be used to heal wounds.

-

Fellowship 30

5

Streetwise

Either due to your own circumstances or your nature, you're able to communicate freely with those who society has marginalised.

Gain a +10 bonus to Social Skill tests made when dealing with the socially excluded or those living informally outside of the system.

-

No "Pompous" Drawback

5

Thrill Seeker

You're either addicted to thrills, or whenever you find yourself in dangerous situations, you just switch on.

Whenever you spend a Fate Point in dangerous situtations where you are outmatched or performing an exceptionally brave feat, roll a 1d10. On a 10, the Fate is regained.

-

No "Coward" Drawback

5

Troublemaker

You're not comfortable with authority, and you wriggle and worm and squeeze your way out of it whenever possible.

You gain two of the following skills: Stealth, Security, Sleight of Hand. Authority figures take a -20 penalty to Charm or Command tests against you if attempting to make you do something.

Once per session, you may subtract an already rolled test result by 2d10.

-

No "Cursed" Drawabck

5

Unremarkable

You're not remarkable to look at. In fact you're actively forgetful. People trying to remember your face have a genuine problem doing so.

You gain the Unremarkable talent.

-

-

5

Urbane

You're at home in urbane situations, when dealing with those in power or prestige.

Gain a +10 bonus to Charm, Deceive, Scrutiny and Inquiry tests made when dealing with the authorities, socialite classes and in formal situations.

-

-

5

Drawback Name

Subname

Character Implications

Effect

Special

Requirements

Depth Cost

Amputee

You're missing an important limb- perhaps you lost it in a mining accident, or a war, or you were born with a defect. This drawback does terrible things to a character- this drawback should not be taken lightly at all, because prosthetic limbs are vanishingly rare.

You begin with one less limb (either an arm or a leg).

-

-

15

Big Ego

Your character is arrogant in an obvious fashion. This is common with Highborns, but arrogance is a luxury all backgrounds are welcome to.

Once per day, In any situation where someone else proves themselves to be more skilled than you, you must take a Willpower+10 test. On a failure, at the next available opportunity you must choose an action that has at least a -20 net penalty attached to it, preferably something flashy and attention-getting. On a Willpower success, however, you instead take a -10 penalty to Intelligence, Perception and Fellowship for an hour.

-

No "Meek" Drawback

10

Cannot Live Without

This usually tends to represent a strong bond with someone, usually a romantic bond or close familial bond. You should be sure to illustrate why this is so important to the GM.

Choose one person. They gain a +20 to all Social tests with you and you take 2d10+10 Insanity if they die, appear to have died or become an enemy.

-

-

10

Chronic Pain

This is almost always due to a painful injury. If you're looking for a character who sports painful war scars but don't want to remove an arm or a leg, this is the drawback for you.

Whenever you gain a level of fatigue, you must pass a toughness test or take an extra level of fatigue.

-

No "High Endurance" Asset.

10

Clumsy

You're clumsy! Some people might find it cute, but it doesn't tend to work out well when you're trying to clear a jump over a two kilometre deep chasm.

You take a -10 penalty to all agility or agility skill tests other than Dodge.

-

No "Catlike" Asset

5

Coarse

You don't fit in to high society. This is almost stereotypically appropriate for Agrarians, but it can also work for a Highborn who hates the sham of high society.

Gain a -10 bonus to Charm, Deceive, Scrutiny and Inquiry tests made when dealing with the authorities, socialite classes and in formal situations.

-

No 'Urbane' Asset

5

Coward

You're a coward. This drawback is very interesting when paired with the Marcher background or Veteran Occupation.

Take a -20 penalty to resist fear.

-

No 'Fearless', 'Hardened Nerves' or 'Thrill Seeker' Asset

10

Cursed

You are either extremely unlucky, or you have a literal powerful curse on you- whichever you prefer.

At the start of every Chapter, roll a 1d10. If the result is higher than your Fate Pool, then you are cursed for the first battle of the Chapter.

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No "Uncanny Luck" Asset.

10

Debt

1-4

At some time or other, someone helped you out. Or maybe your family has been in debt for generations. No one is safe from debt, whether it be financial or because someone once saved your life and they intend to collect.

You have a debt that needs to be repaid to a specific character or organisation, decided with the GM at character creation. This debt may be finanical in nature, or it might only be repayable with actions, potentially dangerous ones. Either way, it is usally equal to roughly 10 Influence per purchase. At some point, the group will demand a boon from you; refusal to grant that boon grants you the Foe drawback or Enemy (Group, 2) talent as appropriate.

May be taken multiple times. If taken multiple times with the same group, the scale of the debt increases appropriately and you may expect to undertake riskier or more costly actions to pay it off. If you have multiple 'debt' drawbacks with the same person, and you spurn them, then expect the corresponding Foe drawback to be more intense; if a group, add +2 to the Enemy talent.

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5

Dark Secret

There are things you did- or things you saw- or a legacy you possess that must remain hidden. If it were to be found out, it might attract unwanted attention… Not to mention alienate friends.

Possesses a dark secret. If someone else discovers this secret, they react in an appropriate way as below:

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10

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Anger

For 1d5 Chapters, the character will not willingly speak to you. If forced to, any Fellowship tests directed at them auto-fail, and they are treated as having the Short Fuse drawback in relation to you (if they already have it, they auto-fail tests to resist it.)

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Avoidance

For 1d10+2 Chapters, the character will not willingly approach you or be within a few metres of you, and are visibly uncomfortable at your presence.

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Denial

The character gains a major delusion (Dark Secret is normal). They will try to change the topic should it come up and if their delusion is actively disproved, they roll on the trauma table, with a 50% chance of the delusion being maintained afterwards.

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Disgust

The character will never Assist you or enter a joint action (Synch Group, Double Team etc) with you. They must test WP to go through with an action intended solely to save your life.

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Acceptance

The character decides that their attachment to you is such that they are willing to ignore the shortfalls and stand with you. They are, however, treated the same as you by any other characters who discover the Dark Secret.

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Dependent

A staple for uncertain characters, ones with self-doubt or ones inherently obedient, this makes them overly dependent on another's acceptance for their own self-esteem.

Choose one person; if that person's opinion of you is ever negative, you take a -10 penalty until the end of the next Chapter. After that, choose a new person to be dependent on.

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5

Depressive

Your character is prone to mood swings and long periods of depression.

At the start of each Chapter, make a WP test. On a failure, you gain a level of fatigue that may not be removed until the start of the next Chapter.

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10

Disgraced

1-4

Choose one group. You gain the Enemy (Group, 1) trait.

May be taken multiple times.

May not be the same group from "Local Hero"

5

Duty of Care

Your character has a dependent. Often a child, someone sick or feeble, or in any other way reliant on the character for sustenance. Whether this character resents this or just accepts it with grace, they take their duty of care seriously.

Select one individual as a dependent. If you ever believe this person to be in danger you must test WP-10 or rush to their aid, and you auto-fail if you can confirm they are in danger, although you gain a +20 to all tests in your frenzy. Should they be harmed you take 1 Insanity and a level of fatigue for 1 hour. Should they die or be taken from you, you take 2d10+10 Insanity.

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15

Elemental Weakness

Your character possesses a noticeable weakness to a particular element, perhaps due to a bad experience as a child, or some other fluke- or maybe even a curse.

Whenever you gain Insanity points, you take one point extra for every dice rolled.

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No "Resilient Mind" Asset

5

Fanatical

You take your allegiance to a code or organisation very seriously. Good examples include a knightly code, a religion or religious order, a government or government figure.

Choose an organisation, cause or moral code. You will follow the tenets of that code, or orders from that organisation, even if it means danger or death. If you fail to attempt to do so (but not attempt and fail), a Fate Point is permanently lost.

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10

Foe

Your character has a foe. The foe might be a dangerous combatant or a social menace, but either way they seek to ruin you. Speak with the GM to decide who this foe is and why they seek your ruin.

A character (either existing or new) hates you and/or seeks your ruin in some way. They may interfere at inopportune times or try to plot against you.

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5

Forgetful

Your character is forgetful. They might be intelligent and clever but they struggle to retain information.

You take a -10 penalty to all Lore skills, as well as penalties to remembering obscure events or details.

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No "Eidetic Memory" Asset

5

Frail

Your character is frail and tends to be easier to 'break'. Not so good for a Knight (although it could be interesting), and a dangerous drawback because a single point of Critical Damage can mean the difference between you losing a finger and your arm slapping someone in the face on its way to the horizon.

Whenever you take a point of Lethal Damage you take one extra.

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10

Hoarder

You have a tendency to hoard things. Inevitably much of this leads to an accumulation of detritus but the true 'fun' begins when you struggle to give a potion to a wounded ally.

You have a tendency to collect things just in case, and resent being forced to throw things out. Furthermore, unless someone uses a Charm, Command or Intimidate test on you opposed by your Willpower, you won't lend anything you own to someone else.

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5

Impetuous

Your character is impetuous and longs to get to grips with the enemy. This could be through bloodlust, arrogance or some other trait.

You may not assist, aim, retreat, delay or willingly do nothing in a battle without making a Willpower test with a -10 penalty. Once you have performed a Charge, Heavy Attack, Burst Attack, Attack spell or a ranged attack at Point Blank Range, then the test requirement is removed for the rest of the battle.

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10

Inattentive

You are inattentive, making you easier to ambush and more likely to overlook things.

You take a -10 penalty to Perception and Perception-based skill tests.

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5

Jealousy

You're extremely jealous and possessive of another person. This one is good when paired well with Cannot Live Without.

Select a character to be the object of your jealousy. In situations where you know or suspect the object to favour another more than you (even temporarily), you take a -10 to Intelligence, Willpower, Perception and Fellowship tests until the end of the Chapter. If you witness something trying to influence the character, you must make a Willpower test or intervene in some way.

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5

Lonely

You're someone who feels loneliness hard. You might be an extreme extrovert, or perhaps being alone makes it hard to ignore bad memories, or some such reason.

You take a -10 penalty to tests made when you are isolated with no other people around and you are not in contact with other people (such as through a comm system).

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5

Low Pain Threshold

You take pain easily. An interesting way to spin this would be to have your PC demonstrate a major aversion to pain.

Reduce your Toughness Bonus by 1 for all intents and purposes.

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No "High Endurance" Asset.

10

Meek

Your character is meek and tends to struggle to make an impression or stand out.

You take a -10 penalty to Fellowship and Fellowship-based skill tests.

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5

Overweight

Your character is overweight. Note that this does not have to represent an extremely fat character (although playing a fat noble or merchant can be fun); it can also represent a character who is particularly heavy-set whilst having obviously good physical shape.

You reduce your AB by 1 for the purposes of calculating speed and take a -20 penalty to the Contortionist use of the Acrobatics skill.

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No "Skinny" Drawabck

5

Phobia

You're terrified of something. It is in good taste to take this for something neither common nor rare; a fear of spiders or heights or Mages is fine, but a fear of sunlight or The Hidden Lost Gem of Dolbodar is either onerous or too rare.

You gain a single 'Phobia' Severe Disorder.

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5

Poor Vision

1-4

Your character has poor vision. At the first level, this should represent a character with extremely poor eyes, which require rare and expensives eyeglasses to correct (which they may not have); anything past this should involve actual damage to eyes, with 4 representing missing an actual eye.

For every rank in this drawback you take a -10 penalty to vision-based perception tests and reduce the range of ranged weapons by 10m.

Can be taken multiple times

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5

Pompous

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You're naturally pompous, long-winded and given to flourishes of rhetoric that might impress some, but come off as self-gratifying to those who don't have time for such a lifestyle.

Gain a -10 bonus to Social Skill tests made when dealing with the socially excluded or those living informally outside of the system.

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No "Streetwise" Asset

5

Prejudice

You're prejudiced. Whether due to cultural upbringing or personal experience, you find it hard to trust or tolerate this group.

Choose one group. You will not willingly tolerate their presence, and all interaction tests with them take a -20 penalty.

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5

Repellent

1-4

One particular gender finds you repellent. This doesn't have to be related to looks; it can be an air, a particular verbal tic or just the creepy way they behave.

You take a -10 penalty to Fellowship tests when interacting with a gender of your choice.

Can be taken multiple times

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5

Sadistic

Your character enjoys inflicting pain. Sometimes this has a reason, sometimes the character is just a bad person.

Whenever you have the clear chance to inflict pain (physical or emotional) on someone and are reasonably sure you can get away with it, you must. If you choose to let the opportunity pass without incident, you must take a Willpower test. On a failure, one unspent Fate Point is considered spent for the rest of the session. If you and the target are on bad terms already or you have special reasons for wanting them to suffer, you take a -30 penalty to your test.

In some cases, you may choose to make this only apply to a single subgroup. The Prejudice penalty applies to this drawback as well.

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10

Second Fiddle

A more severe version of Cannot Live Without, this one combines it with a form of Dependent that makes it good for simulating particularly dominated characters.

Choose one person. Fellowship tests from them to you auto-succeed. You go after them in Initiative if you roll higher and take a -10 to all tests for an hour if they scorn you. Take 2d10+10 Insanity and roll on the Trauma Table with a +20 modifier if they die, appear to have died or becomes an enemy.

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15

Sheltered

You've spent your whole life in one particular environment, and outside of it you find the world particularly harsh; the air is wrong, the food is weird, the heat/cold is miserable…

Choose one environment (eg. Ocean, urban, desert, forest, ice etc). Outside of this environment you take a -20 to Survival tests and increase the DTV of Difficult Terrain by 2. Exposure tests to heat or cold take a further -10 outside of your chosen environment.

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No "Rugged" Drawback, no Itinerant Background

10

Short Fuse

Your character has a real short temper, prone to succumbing to bouts of rage. Appropriate for Berserkers, but anyone can have fun with this.

Whenever you are confronted or otherwise stressed or agitated, you must pass a Willpower Test or fly into a rage, taking it out on the environment and/or people around you.

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5

Shy

You're shy. You find it difficult to open up to strangers; even talking with them can be a major terrifying obstacle. This pairs well with Meek and Lonely for pure concentrated moe, or with Phobia (Social interaction) for major social anxiety.

You take a -20 penalty to Fellowship tests when interacting with strangers or in crowds of people.

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5

Sickly

You take ill easily, perhaps as the result of a childhood sickness that damaged your immune system, malnutrition or just an unfortunate fluke of nature.

You take a -10 penalty to resist poison, illness or the effects of substandard food.

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5

Slow Healer

You're a slow healer, which ensures that bed rest tends to be a prolongued experience for you. This sort of character probably wants to avoid getting hurt, but one who is reckless despite this has their own charm.

Whenever you recover wounds, no matter the source, you recover -1. Whenever you spend a Fate Point to heal wounds, you reroll and take the worse result.

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No "Quick Healer" Asset

10

Submissive

Your character is naturally submissive. They may just be meek or shy, but a confident soldier used to obeying without thought counts too.

Charm, Command and Intimidate tests designed to coerce you into an action take a +10 bonus.

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5

Suicidal

This does not mean your character is actively seeking death (although it can); it can also mean that your character is simply bad at recognising danger, or just has too much fun. Interesting when paired with Thrill Seeker.

You have no survival instinct, and will not retreat from combat of their own will. If you are asked to, or would have a motivation to retreat from a fight that isn’t your own well-being, you may test Willpower to act normally.

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5

Unlucky

Your character just has bad, rotten luck.

Whenever you would spend a Fate Point, roll a 1d10. On a 9, the fate is spent but you get nothing in return.

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No "Uncanny Luck" Asset.

10

Vengeful

Your character is not one to forgive or to forget. This sort of behaviour can create interesting and compelling characters, especially if they go to great lengths to avenge themselves.

Whenever you are significally harmed (physically, mentally, etc) in some way- such as taking critical damage, being denied an objective or having a goal stymied- you must make a Willpower-10 test. On a failure, you seek to harm the character who harmed you. In combat situations, this means you will attempt to wound the character at least once before retreating. In other situations, however, it might mean scheming against them or hurting them when they were vulnerable.

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10

Wimp

Your character is just not very strong. The reasoning for this could be due to various reasons- muscular deficiency, malnutrition, or just a really terrible stance.

Aptitudes and Experience

At this stage, all starting characters can purchase Advancements, which improves a facet of a character's abilities. Advancements are divided into Characteristic Advances, Skill Advances, Talent Advances and Spell Advances.

The cost of an Advance is determined by your Aptitudes. Each Advance has two Aptitudes, a Tier, and an XP cost. If you possess one Aptitude, you gain a discount to XP cost; if you possess two, you gain a larger discount. You can still purchase a talent if you possess no Aptitude for it, but the cost is likely to be very harsh.

All starting Characters begin with 1,000 XP with which to spend on Advancements.

This aptitude represents one's ability to lead their peers, whether on the battlefield or in the palaces of power.

Social

This aptitude represents one's ability to understand and use the dangerous and subtle arts of social grace and knowledge to further their own gains.

Characteristics possess the following Aptitudes:

Characteristic

Aptitude 1

Aptitude 2

Weapon Skill

Weapon Skill

Offense

Ballistic Skill

Ballistic Skill

Finesse

Strength

Strength

Offense

Toughness

Toughness

Defense

Agility

Agility

Finesse

Intelligence

Intelligence

Knowledge

Perception

Perception

Fieldcraft

Willpower

Willpower

Arcane

Fellowship

Fellowship

Social

Characteristic Advances increase a Characteristic by +5 per purchase.

Matching Aptitudes

Simple

Intermediate

Trained

Proficient

Master

Two

100 XP

250 XP

500 XP

750 XP

1,000 XP

One

250 XP

500 XP

750 XP

1,000 XP

1,500 XP

Zero

500 XP

750 XP

1,000 XP

1,500 XP

2,500 XP

Skills come in four ranks- Known (1), Trained (2), Experienced (3) and Master (4).
Known allows you to test a Skill without taking a -20 penalty (note that a Specialist Skill may never be attempted without training)
Trained allows you to make that test with a +10 bonus.
Experienced allows you to make that test with a +20 bonus.
Master allows you to make that test with a +30 bonus.

Matching Aptitudes

Known

Trained

Experienced

Master

Two

100 XP

200 XP

300 XP

400 XP

One

200 XP

400 XP

600 XP

800 XP

Zero

300 XP

600 XP

900 XP

1200 XP

Talents may be purchased as an Advance. Talents are divided into tiers, which determines how expensive they are.
Note that many Talents possess Prerequisites; these must be met before the Talent can be purchased.

Bring the Character to Life

Here, you put the final finishing touches on the Character- you give them a name, an age, a gender, a Zodiac Sign and a Religion. You also should consider their personality, their hopes, dreams, aspirations, what they hate and what they want to destroy.

A centralised religion based in the Holy City of Orbonne that celebrates Saint Alma Victor, She who Ascended in Ivalice's darkest hour. It holds sway over most of Ivalice, from Gallione to Zeltennia. It is headed by the Archbishop of Orbonne.

Faranism

An ancient religion that has existed for thousands of years, it traces its roots back to the Zodiac Braves, from which descent is divided into twelve tribes. Most dominant in Ordalia, it is headed by the Patriarch of the Faran Orthodoxy and overseen by the Sanhedrin Court, based in Kaldemar.

Yudoranism

A Faran sect that is relevant primarily due to its status as the state religion of the Cerulean Sultanate, Yudoranism shares much in common with the Faran faith, but bears differences in certain areas.

Agnostic

You cleave to no particular creed or religion, perhaps interpreting God and the world in your own way.